Tesco opens doors to local growers

Tesco has pledged to increase local sourcing and cut food miles. Photograph: David Sillitoe

Tesco is to open regional buying offices across the country as part of its pledge to increase local sourcing and cut food miles, the company announced today.

The move to promote seasonal and regional foods is part of a 10-point community plan unveiled by the supermarket chain earlier this year as it seeks to reinvent itself as a "good neighbour" with greener credentials.

Tesco's commercial director, Richard Brasher, said the latest plan was also a response to growing customer demand for fresher, locally sourced foods.

"We also know that smaller suppliers sometimes find it hard to approach the supermarkets," he said, promising a push to take more foods from local producers. "By opening regional buying offices with dedicated teams on the ground, we will achieve this and stock more local lines for our customers."

Tesco is recruiting regional food experts, putting regional counters in its stores and has already launched a regional sourcing website, where shoppers can recommend their favourite local products, be it East Anglian tomatoes or Cornish cream. It will hold a series of roadshows around Britain where producers can pitch their wares to Tesco's senior buyers.

The 1,300-strong chain launched its community plan, seen as an attempt to address mounting consumer concern over the giant supermarket group's power, in May. Initiatives range from a £100m environmental fund to power stores with wind turbines, solar panels and geothermal power, to a pledge to cut the number of carrier bags Tesco hands out.

The Tesco charm offensive echoes attempts by all the big supermarket chains to change their image by underlining their credentials as socially and environmentally responsible organisations. This week, Sainsbury backed a new initiative to tackle the increasing problem of childhood obesity.

Tesco said its latest move marked the first time any UK supermarket had opened nationwide regional buying offices and would result in hundreds of new local lines being stocked.

According to the most recent Defra figures, CO2 emissions caused by food transport for the UK have been rising. Road and air food miles generated nearly 18m metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2004 - up 6% on the previous year. The increase followed a 15% rise in emissions over the decade to 2002.

The supermarkets insist they are making progress and reducing the mileage covered by delivery lorries. Tesco has announced plans to start moving non-food products by rail and Asda already moves some goods by train. Asda's parent group, Wal-Mart, recently set out an ambitious environmental programme including a pledge to ensure it was supplied 100% by renewable energy.

For some environmental campaigners, those changes are not enough. Tesco's long-standing critics such as Friends of the Earth, greeted the community plan with some scepticism given it was published the day after Tesco and other supermarkets were referred to the Competition Commission for a full-scale investigation.

Friends of the Earth's supermarkets campaigner, Sandra Bell, said Tesco's track record on local produce did not bode well for this latest pledge. "It's hard to see how this is going to be anything other than a tokenistic gesture," she said.

But the initiative was welcomed by suppliers.

Robin Capper, the head of food and farming at the National Farmers' Union, said the move was good news for those medium-sized producers who wanted to save on the cost of a middle man.

"There are some large companies which are too big for farmers' markets and would want to go and supply their local produce to supermarkets directly," he said.